The 23 Best Mexican Restaurants in NYC, According to Locals

You’re craving tacos—what else is new? Before you buy some from that random spot by your office (that just might leave you disappointed), read this list of what our editors consider to be the 23 best Mexican restaurants in NYC. Their top spots run the gamut from hole-in-the-wall taquerias in Manhattan to viral up-and-coming eateries in the Bronx, plus some tried-and-true family favorites and date night spots in Brooklyn. Read on for our team’s favorite spots for tacos, burritos, margaritas and everything in between. I promise you won't be disappointed.

PRICE LEGEND

• $: from ~$4 per taco
• $$: from ~$6 per taco
• $$$: from ~$9 per taco

• Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen; Astoria, Queens
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

This boutique cantina is serving traditional staples, fresh cocktails and modern plates alike, inspired by old-school Mexican, Cuban and pan-Latin fare. You can’t go wrong with communal guacamole, queso fundido, ceviche or carne asada. As for tacos, savor everything from beer-battered pescado to pulpo (that’s octopus) and chorizo. If you need more convincing, PureWow’s VP of News & Entertainment Phil Mutz swears by the margaritas and palomas.

• Neighborhood: Union Square, Upper East Side
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Tex-Mex fans, right this way. Seven types of queso, nachos, fajitas and red chili await you at this laid-back mainstay. “The brisket tacos are incredible, and the queso sampler is a must,” asserts PureWow’s VP of Editorial Candace Davison. “But if you need to choose one, go with the Mag Mud—guac in queso? Sometimes you really can have it all.”

• Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Don’t let this hole-in-the-wall spot’s looks fool you: You’re in for a killer meal. “Great tacos and burritos,” says Mutz. If chips are more your thing, spring for the chilaquiles. There are also plenty of tortas planchadas that make for a hearty lunch, as well as seven different types of enchiladas.

• Neighborhood: Financial District
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

You’ll find traditional and reinvented dishes alike at this Battery Park resto. Raw seafood lovers will adore the tostadas and aguachile, while taco stans can consider 11 varieties, ranging from Brussels sprouts with cashew crema to grilled chicken coated in achiote, an earthy paste featuring garlic, oregano, coriander, annatto seeds and other seasonings. “It doesn’t disappoint, and [the space is] huge, so it’s usually easy to get a table,” explains PureWow’s Executive Editor Alexia Dellner. “I like the fish tacos and the frozen blood orange margarita.”

• Neighborhood: Upper West Side
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Inspired by the street food of Guadalajara, this walk-in-worthy eatery boasts classics like pozole, carnitas, al pastor and spicy chorizo, alongside inventive dishes like wild mushroom tinga and breakfast burritos. (Dellner adores their brothy epazote black beans.) Pair your order with a citrusy, salty michelada—with Mexican spicy mix, if you dare—or an agua fresca.

• Neighborhood: East Village
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: takeout only

“Authentic Mexican food was the one thing I felt deprived of, having had some of the best Mexican food at my disposal in Southern California,” explains PureWow’s Associate Fashion Commerce Editor Steph Meraz. “My sister turned me onto this place, and it tasted like home at first bite. When they serve you endless chips and (good) salsa immediately without it costing you $10, you know you’ve gone to the right spot. The carnitas tacos are amazing, as are the flautas de papa. My sister raves about the enchiladas verdes, and I’ve heard the lengua tacos are not to be skipped.”

• Neighborhood: Downtown, Midtown, Uptown
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

PureWow’s Executive Managing Editor Catrina Yohay frequents the downtown location for the platanos machos fritos (fried plantains with salsa verde and queso fresco) and tres leches (made with chiffon cake and topped with whipped cream, strawberries and mint). But there’s plenty more to indulge in here, like street-style elotes, chicken mole enchiladas, roasted cauliflower tacos and crab tostadas.

• Neighborhood: East Village
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Yohay also adores Rosie’s, a modern Mexican resto that’s beloved for its handmade tortillas, made with corn from a Oaxacan coop that supports independent farmers. Start with chipotle Gulf shrimp, chicharrones, esquites or a corn-mushroom gordita before diving into tlayudas (a crisp tortilla topped with roasted mushrooms, black bean puree, cheeses and a spicy cabbage slaw), Michoacan-style carnitas, carne asada tacos or quesabirria tacos, made with braised short rib and Chihuahua cheese.

• Neighborhood: NoHo
• Price: $$$
• Delivery/Takeout: no

For Mexican food that’s a bit upscale, here’s another favorite of Yohay’s that’s inspired by the cuisine of Tulum. It features chic dishes like caviar guacamole, lobster ceviche, duck confit mole, mixiote de cordero (aka slow-braised lamb shank) and pescado zarandeado. If you’re feeling tacos, they have carne asada, Baja fish, shrimp and steak and pollo pibil on the menu. If you can’t decide what to order, lean on the cochinita pibil, wrapped in banana leaf and slathered in achiote paste.

• Neighborhood: Locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Get a taste of Yucatán at this wildly popular eatery with locations all over NYC. “The price is a little high, but the food is so good, and the cocktails are delish,” says PureWow Editor Abby Hepworth. “I always get the esquites and the black bean and sweet potato tacos, but have also had the baja crispy fish, which is excellent.” The beef birria tacos, made with brisket and served with consomé, are also an easy homerun.

• Neighborhood: Greenpoint
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: dine-in only

Take it from Hepworth: “best tacos in all of NYC.” This modest spot has a cult following for good reason. With a simple menu consisting of six tacos, consomé and non-alcoholic drinks, this no-frills mainstay is nothing to sneer at. The al pastor tacos, brimming with tender pineapple-marinated pork butt, are perfection, but according to The New York Times, it’s the campechano tacos (a 50/50 mix of suadero confit beef and longaniza pork sausage) that steal the show.

• Neighborhood: Bushwick, Crown Heights, Park Slope
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

If you’re craving no-frills burritos, tacos, cervezas and margs, this spot will satisfy. PureWow’s Associate SEO Editor Marissa Wu adores the restaurant’s bowls, which come with your choice of protein (think chicken mole, tinga, picadillo, carnitas and more), rice, lettuce, cheese, beans and pico de gallo. But tortas, tostadas, quesadillas and enchiladas grace the menu as well.

• Neighborhood: Bushwick
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

When a restaurant keeps its menu this bare-bones, odds are they’re really good at making the few items they do serve. Here, al pastor pork, pollo asado, carne asada and, for vegetarians, nopal asado can star in tacos, quesadillas, gringas, tostadas, volcanes, burritos and platters alike. “I put it on my Google Map pins because it was on a ‘best of’ list and it did not disappoint,” claims Wu.

• Neighborhood: Boerum Hill, Clinton Hill
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

PureWow’s Senior Food Editor Katherine Gillen says this place is good for “standard Mexican fare” at a discount. (All the menu items are under $20, even entrees.) The taqueria offers soft and crunchy tacos alike, plus dozens of mains. Think flautas, chile relleno, mole poblano, camarones a la Mexicana and tamales. If you’re feeling extra decadent, spring for the chimichanga, a fried burrito filled with your choice of meat or veggies and all the fixings.

• Neighborhood: Sunset Park
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: walk-in only

PureWow Editor-in-Chief Jillian Quint loves this food-cart-turned-restaurant that’s famous for its mole poblano, giant tortas and boldly flavored, surprisingly tender lengua and tripe. They also have cabeza (veal head), buche (pork stomach) and suadero (tender beef) options for adventurous eaters, as well as campechanos (mixed meat) for indecisive eaters. If you love nachos, give the all-day chilaquiles a try.

• Neighborhood: Bushwick, Park Slope
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Birria babes, this one’s for you. This place not only offers birria tacos, but also birria pizza, ramen, empanadas and platters. “Their birria is to die for and their jam-packed, massive quesadilla that makes for two meals is only $9,” raves PureWow Editorial Assistant Delia Curtis. “It’s more of a grab-and-go spot with a couple of small tables and a counter, but if you’re inside picking up, they’ve also got a mini market with all kinds of kitchen and pantry staples.”

• Neighborhood: Dyker Heights
• Price: $
• Delivery/Takeout: Yes

If you’re looking for the perfect union of seafood and tortilla, pay attention, because Fonda Garibaldi has the enthusiastic endorsement of a true connoisseur: “I’ve ordered from here on a weekly basis ever since a fish taco craving struck and I went out in search of the best one. This is it, hands down. The top-quality fish is perfectly fried and so generously portioned it barely fits in its corn tortilla vessel. The toppings are on point—nothing so heavy that it would outshine the fish or make a mess, just a light chipotle mayo smear and a tangy, refreshing slaw. The crispy calamari taco is out of this world, too. Crispy on the outside and never rubbery, which is a major achievement when it comes to calamari. Plus, my kids love the chicken quesadillas, so Fonda Garibaldi has earned a place in all of our hearts,” says PureWow Contributor Emma Singer.

• Neighborhood: Prospect Heights
• Price: $$$
• Delivery/Takeout: Yes

Another one of Singer’s favorites, this restaurant is “great for an upscale Mexican dining experience,” she says, adding that “it’s a little pricey, so I prefer it for a date night, but the ambience is nice and the menu is top-notch. (I highly recommend the jumbo fried shrimp tacos with mole sauce.)” In other words, if you’re craving a late-night, greasy burrito, look elsewhere—but if you’re seeking a spot with elevated cuisine, at a similarly elevated price, Alta Calidad has got you covered.

• Neighborhood: Parkchester
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

This BX spot has you covered from breakfast to dinner to dessert. “We first saw the recco from Keith Lee and realized it wasn’t too far from us,” says PureWow Associate Editor Chelsea Candelario. “My family and I started to order from here and we’re in love. You can’t go wrong with the tacos; the burritos are the size of my head and be prepared for large chips to be filled to the brim.” P.S.: There are plenty of vegan and gluten-free items available.

• Neighborhood: Astoria;Patchogue, Long Island
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

With 50 mezcals, more than 100 tequilas and all the traditional Oaxacan fare, this is the ultimate resto for dinner and drinks. There’s so much more to dig into than tacos, too. Liza de la Garza of Vayner Media loves this spot’s chilaquiles and birria, but we also have our eyes set on the ribs itsmeñas (slow cooked with guava chipotle glaze), the chicken breast in mole verde, and the beef short ribs with mole Oaxaca, platano purée and a potato-and-cheese croquette.

• Neighborhood: Astoria
• Price: $$
• Delivery/Takeout: yes

Casual handhelds and leveled-up mains unite at this Queens staple. Proteins for tacos and quesadillas range from grilled octopus and filet mignon to lengua and grilled pumpkin flower. As for platos fuertes, we have our eye on grilled lamb chops, pork ribs in chile sauce, chipotle shrimp and chicken or steak fajitas. Old-school soups, like pork pozole and menudo, are also on the menu.